Surprise
by Zanza8
Summary: Sanosuke is spending time with Tae, which is just fine with Megumi. Really.
1. A First Time for Everything

Megumi eyed her next patient with a wry expression as she went to the door of the waiting room and saw him sitting against the wall holding his arm. "What is it this time?'

He got to his feet, smiling sheepishly. "I had a little accident."

"I can see that. Well, come on." They went to an exam room and he took off his jacket and showed her a jagged cut. "Is this all?" He nodded and Megumi turned to the small medicine cabinet. "It's going to need a few stitches. How did it happen?"

"Does it matter?"

Megumi looked suspiciously at the young man. "I wouldn't ask if it didn't. How did this happen, Sanosuke?" He fidgeted, then mumbled something under his breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

He sighed. "I fell out of a tree."

The young woman's eyebrows went up. "Aren't you a little old to be climbing trees?"

"I wasn't doing it for fun! There was this little girl and she was crying because her cat was stuck in the tree…."

Megumi poured antiseptic on the cut, ignoring his yelp of dismay. "Sanosuke, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?"

"What?" He gritted his teeth as she began to stitch him.

"People are always worrying about cats in trees, and cats always come down from trees when they are ready."

Sano said loftily, "I know that. But this little girl was really upset, so I just thought, you know….to ease her mind…."

"Of course." Megumi concentrated on her work. "And what happened while you were easingthis child's mind?"

Sanosuke resigned himself to telling her the whole story. "The cat kept climbing higher and higher and I kept trying to catch up with it until I grabbed a branch that was too thin and it broke and I fell. And while I was laying there the cat came down out of the tree all by itself. Are you satisfied?"

The young woman snickered. "Completely." She took a last stitch and reached for the bandages. "Next time don't be so eager to help a damsel in distress."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She wrapped his arm carefully and sat back. "You need to keep that dry until I take the stitches out next week. I suppose now I have to feed you?"

Sano stood up and slipped his jacket back on. "No, thanks. I have somewhere I need to be and I'm already late."

"Sanosuke Sagara turning down free food?" Megumi told herself firmly that she was relieved she would not have to fix lunch for him.

He grinned mischievously. "Guess there's a first time for everything."


	2. The Akobeko

After Sanosuke left, Megumi started for the kitchen, only to change her mind. Dr. Gensai had gone to deliver a baby that morning and dropped his granddaughters off at the dojo. She would be eating alone now that Sano had turned down her invitation and she suddenly decided to treat herself to a beef pot at the Akobeko. There were no more patients, she could leave a note on the clinic door in case of emergencies, and the restaurant was only a few minutes walk….

She set out briskly. It was a beautiful spring day-blue sky, singing birds, bright sun….a perfect day to be going out to lunch. Alone. Megumi sighed. She knew perfectly well she was going to the restaurant for a little companionship, and she wondered idly what Sanosuke's important errand had been. It must have been practically life-or-death for him to turn down a free meal.

Her eyes widened as she went into the Akobeko and saw Sano by the kitchen door, talking to Tae. They were standing close together, smiling at each other, deep in what seemed to be a very private conversation. _So that's why he didn't want to have lunch with me-he was in a rush to see Tae. _Megumi told herself very firmly that it was none of her business who Sanosuke chose to spend his time with, but she felt a pang nevertheless when he noticed her, gave her a casual wave, and sauntered out the back. Tae came over, smiling with wide-eyed innocence. "It's good to see you, Megumi! Are you staying for lunch?"

Megumi resisted the urge to snap at the woman and pasted a sweet smile onto her face. "Yes, I thought I'd have some of that wonderful beef pot you're so famous for, Tae. It gets so tiresome cooking-Dr. Gensai, his granddaughters…." The young woman widened her smile. "Sanosuke."

Tae didn't miss a beat. "He certainly can put it away. Now if he would just pay his bill…."

_Why do you let him eat here all the time when you know perfectly well he isn't going to pay? _Megumi didn't say it, but it must have been written in her expression. As she led the young doctor to her booth, Tae smiled reminiscently. "Did I ever tell you that Sanosuke caught me in his arms before I ever saw his face?" Megumi missed a step. "Some drunks were arguing and when I told them to settle down, one of them hit me and knocked me right off my feet. I would have fallen on the floor if Sanosuke hadn't been there to catch me. And then he got rid of the drunks and kept them away….I've had a soft spot for him ever since." She gestured to a small booth in the corner. "Beef pot for one?"

Megumi bit back the caustic comment that rushed to her lips. "Thank you, Tae. And I'd like some sake."

Tae looked surprised at the request for sake, then she hurried away to give the order to the kitchen, leaving Megumi to fume. Alone.


	3. The Marketplace

She still felt irritated when she woke the next morning. Of course it was none of her business if Sanosuke wanted to freeload at the Akobeko, nor did she care if Tae was misguided enough to let him, but it was still annoying. Megumi was so short-tempered all morning that even Dr. Gensai noticed.

"Megumi-chan, why don't you take a walk to the marketplace?" he suggested gently. "We're running low on bandages, and you could stop at the apothecary and restock…."

The young woman took a deep breath. "That sounds like a good idea," she agreed pleasantly. "Maybe a walk is just what I need."

And it did seem like a good idea at the time, until she got to the marketplace and spotted Sanosuke and Tae. They were walking along side by side-she was smiling up at him, and he….Megumi felt a flash of anger. He was _carrying_ her packages for her! Sanosuke Sagara, the man who never lifted a finger, loaded down like a little horse!

They both spotted her at the same moment. Tae said something to Sanosuke, _patting_ him on the arm, and he nodded and smiled. Megumi froze as they walked up to her.

"Hey, fox lady," said the young man.

"Rooster head," she said coldly. "I see you're finally making yourself useful."

"I try to, every now and then." He grinned mischievously, but she was in no mood for his twinkling eyes.

"Maybe the next time you feel like it, you might help me out." Megumi turned to Tae and forced herself to speak civilly. "You look like you've been shopping all morning."

Tae laughed. "I pretty much have been. A little of this, a little of that-if Sanosuke hadn't offered to help I don't know how I'd get it all back to the Akobeko."

_He offered to help! _"Well, I have to be running along-I have a lot of things I need to get for the clinic." And Megumi walked away with her head held high.


	4. A Friend in Need

Megumi put away the last of her purchases, then went into the kitchen to brew some tea. Dr. Gensai had left on an urgent call and taken the girls to the dojo in case he was out late. Megumi had protested that she didn't mind keeping them, but the old man insisted that she needed a break. She supposed she couldn't argue with that-she'd been on edge all day. She was just going through the pantry to find something to fix for supper when she heard her name being called. She went out to the porch to see Kenshin hurrying up the path to the clinic and she smiled brightly. She didn't get to see him by himself very often-Kaoru was always around somewhere.

"Sir Ken, it's so good to see you. Can I interest you in a cup of tea?" He was panting as he reached her and she felt a twinge of concern. "Are you all right?"

He took a moment to catch his breath, then said urgently, "Miss Megumi, you've got to come with me right now. Sanosuke's hurt."

Megumi's annoyance with Sano vanished in an instant. "Why didn't you bring him?"

Kenshin shook his head. "We didn't want to move him."

Fear squeezed her heart. "What happened?"

"He was hit by a runaway carriage. I think he's got some broken bones….please hurry."

"Of course. Just let me get my medicine box."

Megumi ran inside and grabbed an emergency kit, then started down the street with Kenshin. "Do you know if he hit his head?"

"I don't think so. He was awake and talking."

It only took them a few minutes to reach the Akobeko. "What are we doing here, Sir Ken?"

"It happened in front of the restaurant-I guess they took him inside."

Megumi's irritation vastly outweighed the petty indignation she had felt earlier today. "He probably shouldn't have been moved-that could make his injuries worse."

"Let's just get inside and see how he's doing."


	5. Surprise

Kenshin and Megumi walked through the front door and she looked around for Sanosuke, frowning at the realization that the restaurant was too dark to see anything. Then a dozen lamps were turned up suddenly.

"SURPRISE!"

Megumi dropped her medicine box, staring in shock at all the people who were coming up to her, smiling. Kaoru, Yahiko, Dr. Gensai and the girls, Tsubame and Tae, and in the back, easy to see because of his height, Sanosuke.

"What….why…." Megumi stuttered, staring at the young man. "Sir Ken said you were hurt!"

He smiled broadly. "Well, we had to have some way to get you here."

"But what is this?"

Ayame and Suzume ran up to grab her hands. "It's a birthday party, Aunt Megumi!"

The young woman was deeply touched. Her friends knew when her birthday was-Ayame and Suzume had asked her one day at the dojo, and Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sanosuke had all heard her answer, but she never would have thought they would remember, let alone throw her a party.

They surrounded her now, congratulating her and hoping for many happy returns of the day, and there were gifts and good food and a lot of smiles and a few tears. During a lull she found a moment to talk to Sanosuke. "So this is what you were helping Tae with today?"

"That's right." The young man grinned, his eyes twinkling. "That's why I was in such a rush yesterday- Kenshin and Yahiko and Missy have been planning this for a while and they all figured I was the best one to help Tae with the arrangements."

Megumi shook her head. "I don't think I've ever been so surprised."

"Is it a good surprise?"

"The best." The young woman smiled. "Whose idea was it, anyway?"

Sano shrugged. "I don't know. They've all been talking about it and then Missy and Tae said I had to help if I ever wanted to eat again."

Megumi tossed her head at him and walked away and Sanosuke watched her go….

_He landed hard, knocking the wind out of himself, and the cat dropped lightly out of the tree and came over to him, purring and rubbing against his face. The little girl's tears stopped and she scooped her pet up in her arms. "Are you okay, mister?"_

_ Sano felt the air returning to his lungs and managed to say, "Sure, kid."_

_ The child ran off and after a moment he sat up, noticing that he had cut himself when he fell. He shrugged-the dojo was only a block away and Missy always had plenty of first aid supplies._

_ "Sanosuke, I can't fix this!" scolded Kaoru, wrapping a towel around his arm. "You need stitches-go to the clinic."_

_ Ayame and Suzume ran up. "Uncle Sano, while you're at the clinic, can you cheer up Aunt Megumi?"_

_ Sanosuke squatted down to look the girls in the eye. "What's the matter with Aunt Megumi?"_

_ Suzume whispered, "She's sad because it's her birthday tomorrow and nobody ever remembers. I heard her talking to herself in the kitchen. Can you make her feel better?"_

_ The young man straightened up. "I'll do my best."_

Tae caught Sanosuke's eye and gave him a big smile and he smiled back, nodding.

_"Sanosuke, I have a business to run-I can't just close early and throw a party!"_

_ "Oh, come on, Tae. It's one time. You can put it on my tab."_

_ The young woman sighed. "If you ever pay off your tab I'll be able to open another whole restaurant."_

_ "Then you'll do it, Tae?"_

_ "Only if you help."_

Tae worked her way over to Sanosuke and whispered, "It looks like your party is a real success."

"Just remember it's our secret, Tae."

"All right, but I don't understand why you don't want Megumi to know it was your idea."

The young man looked over at Megumi, flirting with Kenshin and laughing at Kaoru's stormy face. He could almost see the fox ears on her head and he smiled gently. "I don't want her to know whose idea it was, Tae. I'd rather she thought it came from all of us."


End file.
